Archbishop McMahon: Catholic Church is 'not anti-grammar schools'

The Catholic Church is open to the idea of creating new grammar schools, the Archbishop of Liverpool has said.

In an interview with The Guardian, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon said the church is “not anti-grammar schools”, explaining that there are already seven Catholic grammars and the church welcomes “diversity of provision that promotes parental choice”.

The archbishop, who chairs the Catholic Education Service (CES), which oversees the church’s 2,230 schools in England and Wales, said the decision to open new grammar schools would be taken by individual diocesan authorities.